Moscow Raises Alarm Over Missile-Defense Plan for Europe

By RICHARD BOUDREAUX

Russia's defense establishment rolled out computer-generated images of hypothetical warfare on Thursday to illustrate its fear of a planned Europe-based missile-defense shield and warned of a possible a pre-emptive strike on elements of the system, underscoring the biggest source of tension in U.S.-Russia relations.

But the hawkish rhetoric at an international conference masked a tacit agreement to put off serious talks on the issue until next year and an emerging view in the Kremlin that President Barack Obama's re-election would clear the way for a deal overcoming its objections to the U.S.-led missile-defense plan.

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